What is Salvation? Salvation is the instantaneous forgiveness of sin and irreversible eternal life when a sinner trusts in the Finished Work of the Lamb of God who suffered the penalty due to his sins. Salvation is just this - deliverance from the guilt of sin, from the love of sin, from the dominion of sin, and from God's divine justice through simple childlike faith in the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ. Salvation results in a man loving everything that God loves, and hating everything that God hates. What you love is what you are. A man’s likes and dislikes determine his character. A man’s likings and attractions determine who he is and what he is. The Lord is too busy to be doing things for men, that they can do for themselves. God will never quit sinning for any man; that is a man’s own responsibility. God never quit lying for anybody; that is your own job. God never quit stealing for any sinner; that is your own business to look after. God never prayed in any man’s family for him. God never takes up anyone’s cross for him. Give up your position, give up everything, and be an outcast for Christ. If you are living a wicked life in private, quit it. It takes grit to stand up for Jesus today. Give up all if you want to be the Lord’s servant. Believe on Christ, love Him, revere and adore Him, and follow Him. You can run Mormonism without Joseph Smith, but you cannot run Christianity without Christ.
You don’t need to get religion, you need to get the Lord Jesus Christ in your heart. The old rusty hinges on your heart’s door have been closed for a long time. The hinges on your heart’s door must be oiled by the Holy Spirit in order for you to open it and receive the Lord Jesus Christ. Without the oil of the Holy Ghost, you will never get your heart’s door open to Jesus. The Lord knocks, but I must get up, and open the door, and let Him come in. Christ knocks, the Holy Ghost helps us, we open, and Christ comes in. That is the Lord’s plan all the way through.
When I opened the door to Christ, I was ashamed of the house I had to offer Him. I was ashamed of everything I had to offer Him. But He made Himself at home; Jesus is so good and kind – the best Guest I ever had. After He had been my guest for awhile, he said, “I will be the host now and you shall be the guest, and you shall sup with Me. I will feed you My bread.” He is an unfailing Savior that is with me all the day long. Go to the same God that wrote the Bible. Let Him in your heart, let Him move every impulse of your being and nature, and direct every thought of your life, and say, “Nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.” Christianity is not getting religion, but it is getting the Lord Jesus Christ in your inward parts. Christianity is not faith in a creed. A creed is only the skin of truth set up and stuffed with religious show and hypocrisy.
A man can afford anything rather than bad company. I would rather associate with a hog and become hoggish, than become a drunkard. A hog beats a drunkard any day as an associate. I would rather be friends with a dog than a profane swearer. I’ve never heard a dog swear. You can hang around a dog and become doggish, but you will never become a swearer. Keep good company; Shun bad company.
God the Maker of the universe became a Jewish baby and was carried about in Mary’s arms. Jesus Christ, the Framer of the universe, pushed a plane and a saw at a carpenter’s bench to make a living. Jesus the Immortal One died on Calvary’s Cross. Christ the everlasting God went down into His grave, and on the morning of the third day, with His own power, walked forth victoriously from the grave. You don’t get to heaven by understanding everything, you get to heaven by simply believing on Jesus. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, follow Him and love Him. If you will open your heart when He knocks, He will save you in an instant. Open your heart and let the Heavenly Guest come in. Christ always comes where there is room for Him. If there is room in your heart for Christ, He will live there. If there is room in your home, He will live there. If there’s room at your job, He will live there. Everywhere there’s room for Jesus, He will live. Provide room for Jesus now and always. It is not getting religion that you need; it is getting Christ - Christ Himself. Christ is knocking now at your heart’s door, but the trouble is not getting Christ in, but it is getting the door open, and you can’t get the door open without the help of the Holy Ghost. The love of sin is blocking your heart's door, and you can't get it open to let Jesus in. As soon as the door flies open, Jesus will come in and bring salvation with Him.
Faith has conditions just as sight and taste have conditions. If you put your hands over your eyes, you cannot see. If you take your hands away, you can see as clear as day. When you remove your hands, you have complied with the conditions of sight. If there is an apple lying on the counter, you cannot taste it to save your life. But then you walk over and pick it up. You still cannot taste it, your hand cannot taste it. But when you put it to your mouth and take a bite, then you have complied with the conditions of taste. When you comply with the conditions of faith, you cannot help believing. Seeing God is good, tasting Christ is precious. What is the condition of faith? Repentance toward God, that is the main part, that is the human side; that is the condition – repentance toward God. If you repent toward God, you cannot help believing on Christ – they are One. Your business is to turn, repent, and the believing will look after itself; then God gives salvation because you have complied with the conditions of faith.
Doubt is a weed growing in your mind. You need to take hold of your doubt and pull it up by the roots, and you will find the tap-root of your doubts is the love of sin. If you quit loving sin and give up your meanness, your doubts will all be gone. The storm of sin is building up in your life, and it will soon turn into a tornado at death and sweep your soul away forever. If you don’t want to be destroyed eternally, you had better head for the storm shelter – Christ Jesus Himself. The divine power of God the Holy Ghost must change your heart, or you will go to Hell.
Repentance is the movement of the soul from sin toward God. Many a man prays for God to fill His bucket with the water of life, but he has his bucket the wrong side up. God cannot fill a bucket when it is wrong side up without changing the law of gravity. God is holding back the water while you are keeping your bucket upside down. Turn it over and push it under the fountain if you want it to be filled, for the fountain is flowing. God is waiting for you to turn your bucket right side up, what is that? That is Repentance.
Pray with your family, pray with them in night and morning. Give them good advice, tell them about God. Mothers, take your children with you to your prayer closet and pray for them. Give your children to God and one day, He will give them back to you in heaven.
